Burial-casket.



' E. 0. McDONALD.

BUFHAL GASKET.

kPPLICATION' FILED APR-29. m2.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIJAH D. MCDONALD, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO McDONALD CASKET COMI'ANY, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA BUBIAL-CASKET.

Application filed April 29, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIJAH DUNCAN Mc- DoXALo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Burial-Casket, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to re inforced monolithic burial caskets and has for its principal object to provide a monolithic casket having greater strength in proportion to its weight than composition caskets of the character heretofore invented.

Another object is to so construct the reinforcement that the heavy frame members heretofore employed in prior constructions of caskets can be omitted without detriment to the strength of the casket, and that the reinforcement will be absolutely uniform throughout the walls of the casket so that the casket will not be stronger in some parts and weaker in other parts, but will be as strong at any given point as at any other given point, an will be of minimum weight for the degree of strength of the reinforcement. To accomplish the foregoing I combine several important old and new features of reinforcement construction, to-wit: woven wire mesh or fabric of which the reiuforcment members or wires are all in1- movably fastened together at their junctions, the fabric being formed into body and lid baskets, each of said baskets be bent outward at its rim to form continuous flanges, the corner wires and the edge wires of the flanges forming the entire frame of the casket, and uniformity of the reinforce ment throughout the walls of the casket.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the casket with part of the cover broken away. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the reinforcing wire basket Fig. 3 is a cros section on line za, Fig. 1.

The casket comprim cementitious or plas tic covering formed of sections 1, 7 of suit able composition such. for instance, as gypsum plaster and Portland cement, and comprises a frame therefor said frame being formed of bodv and lid reinforcing baskets 2, 10. the body' basket 2 being bent from a single piece of woven wire fabric as in Fig. 2 to form a bottom sides and and having its rim bent outward to form a continuous flange. said lid basket being bent from a single piece of woven wire fabric and be- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Serial no. 694,011.

ing shallower than the body basket, but otherwise the same as said body basket, and therefore not necessary to show in detail, and said lid basket having its rim bent out ward to form a continuous flange extending over the flange of the body basket as in Figs. 1 and 3.

The wires of the baskets 2, 10 are fastened to one another at their intersections by solder a, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, so as to prevent relative movement between said wires, thus producing two exceptionally light weight and strong reinforcing units of maximum rigidity.

The composition forming the covering sections 1, 7 is cast around the baskets 2, 10 respectively.

The construction described above, in actual practice, produces a casket weighing approximately the same as a casket constructed of hard wood; but much stronger and capable of withstanding a pressure of 1100 pounds per square inch, whereas a steel casket weighing a great deal more will withstand a, pressure of but approximately 1500 pounds per muare inch.

The bodv portion is formed in the lower corners with a raised ledge 3 on the inside and on the outside with a molding 4 which greatly strengthens the casket at the corners The body' portion has a flange 5 around its upper edge and a concave groove 6. The cover 7 has a convex rib 8 of smaller cross sectional diameter than the groove 6 and the rib 8 fits in the groove 6. the bottom of the rib resting in the bottom of the groove, and the space on each side of the rib in the groove is filled with the composition of which the body portion is composed. Bolts 9 serve to secure the cover 7 to the lower portion.

Before the cover is placed in position, some of the composition in liquid condition is placed in the groove 6 and in order to prevent this composition from setting too quickly before the cover is in place I prefer to mix a retarding agent in the composition. which retarding agent for example. may be molasses The cover is then placed in position and the composition quickly hardens around the rib 8 and between the flanges 5, rendering the casket air and water proof at this point The cover is formed with an opening 11 for a portion of its length, which is closed by a lid 12 when the casket is to be finally sealed. The lid 1:? is provided with a head 13 which fits in a groove 14 formed in the cover, and liquid cement 15 is placed in the joint before the lid is put on, in the manner similar to the of the cover.

The corner wires and the edge wires of the flanges form the entire frame of the casket and the reinforcement is uniform throughout the walls of the casket. The combined features of the reinforcement wires being all immovably fastened together at their junctions, the fabric being formed into body and lid baskets, each of the has kets being bent outward at its rim to form a continuous flange, the corner wires and the w wires of the flanges forming the entire frameof the casket and absolute uniformity of the reinforcement throughout the walls of thecasket produce a monolithic casket having greater strength in proportion to its weight than composition caskets heretofore known.

Half inch boards 16 are laid on the internal ledges 3 to act as a supporting bottom.

The reinforcing element is a stiff, rigid,

metallic unit of light weight, and the walls of the casket may be made of minimum thickness and yet have an enormous resisting capacity. almost equal to that of a steel casket What I claim is:

A casket comprising a body and lid formed of reinforcing woven wire fabric embodied in a cementitious covering, the wires of the fabric being all immovably fastened together at their junctions, said fabric being formed into body and lid baskets, each of said baskets being bent out-ward at its rim to form a continuous flange, the adjacent faces of said flanges cooperating with each other, the corner wires and the edge wires of the flanges together forming the entire frame of the casket, and the reinforcing fabric being uniform throughout the walls of the casket.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 22d day of April, 1912.

ELIJAH D. MCDONALD.

In presence of G. T. HACKLEY, M. E Bnssmzn cw of this patent my be obtained for in cents-each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. c."

Correction in Letters Raiesitlie. *i'aeaeee hy a lid 12 when the casket is to be finally sealed. The lid 12 is provided with a head v13 which fits in a groove 14 formed in the cover, andtliquid cement 15 is placed in the oint before the lid is puton, in the manner similar to the securing of the cover.

The corner "Wires and the edge Wires of the flanges form the entire frame of the casket and the reinforcement is uniform throughout the Walls of the casket. -The combined features of the reinforcement Wires being all ininlovably fastened together at their junctions,'the fabric being formed into bod and lid baskets, each of the basliQIS being. outward at its rim to form a continuous flange, the corner Wires and the edge Wires of the flanges forming. the

entire frame of the casket, and absolute uni- I formity of the reinforcement I throughout the walls'ofthe casket produce a, monolithic casket having greater strength in propertion to its Weight than'composition caskets heretofore known.

iaif inch boards 16 are laid on the internal ledges 3to act as a supporting bot-- tom.

for an improvement in in the Patent Office.

[BEAM The reinforcing element is a. stifi, rigid,

1,1es,ceo

metallic unit of light Weight, and the Walls of the casket may be made of minimum thickness and yet have an enormous resist-- ing capacity, almost equal to that of a steel casket.

iVhat I claim is:

A casket comprising a body and lid formed of reinforcing WCWGI). wire fabric embodied in a cementitious covering, the wires of the fabric being all immovably fastened together at their junctions, said fabric being formed into body and lid baskets,

each of said baskets being bent out-Ward at its rim to form a continuous flange, the ad- }acent faces of said flanges coperating with each other, the corner Wires and theedge Wires of the flanges together forming the entire frame of the casket, and the reinforcing fabric being uniform throughout I is herehy certified that inLetters-Patent Np. 1,I68,6 60, granted Januarythe apiiiicaticnof Elijah l McDonald, of Los Angeles, Caiifo rnia;

muriaLCaskets, 'an error appears in the printed specifieation. requiring correction follows: Page 2, line 36, in c1aim,-f0rthe sord embodied read emhedded; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same'may conform to the record of the case Signed and sealed this 15th day of February, A. D., 1916.

R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Cemm'is'siomr of Patents.

torrection in Letters Patent No.

f It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent Np. 1,168,660, granted January l r 1 1916, upon the application of Elijah D. McDonald, of L0:

for an improvement in Burial-Caskets, an error appears in the printed speci- 2, line 36, in claim, for the word ficution requiring correction as follows: Page embodied read embedded; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of February, A. D., 1916.

R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

[amp] il l 01. 27--8. l

A ngeles, California, 

